Sponsors (6)
The bill expands and clarifies GI Bill/educational assistance access for construction apprenticeships—benefiting veterans and building the construction workforce—while shifting modest additional costs to taxpayers and creating potential fairness and oversight risks that require mitigation.
Veterans and Selected Reserve members in construction apprenticeships will be able to receive housing and other GI Bill/educational assistance amounts without being penalized by prior attendance rules, increasing their direct financial support while enrolled in apprenticeship training.
Apprentices with variable on-site schedules (common in construction) will be eligible for benefits despite not meeting a rigid monthly attendance minimum, reducing administrative barriers to participation.
Making GI Bill/educational assistance more usable for construction apprenticeships is likely to encourage workforce development in the construction trades and help alleviate local and sectoral labor shortages.
Taxpayers may face higher program costs if expanded eligibility or exemptions increase the number of paid months or raise average benefit outlays for apprenticeships.
Exempting attendance requirements for construction apprenticeships (NAICS Sector 23) creates unequal treatment compared with apprenticeships in other industries, potentially raising fairness and precedent concerns.
Removing a fixed attendance minimum could reduce program oversight and increase the risk of improper payments or fraud unless alternative verification and accountability measures are implemented.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Removes statutory language that could reduce housing/benefit payments for veterans in full-time apprenticeships and waives minimum monthly attendance rules for construction apprenticeships.
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Timothy Patrick Sheehy · Last progress March 4, 2026
Removes statutory language that could reduce educational assistance or housing allowances for veterans enrolled in full-time apprenticeships or on-the-job training, and creates an exception to monthly minimum attendance rules for apprenticeships and OJT in construction occupations (NAICS Sector 23). The change applies to both Post-9/11/All-Volunteer Force educational assistance and Selected Reserve educational assistance, making it easier for veterans and reservists to participate in construction apprenticeships without losing benefits or being disqualified by minimum-attendance rules.